Donate

When you donate to Metro Catholic Outreach, you are helping people in the Cedar Rapids metro area who are in need. You can help MCO in three meaningful ways. You can give food items to our pantry, contribute non-food supplies, or provide a financial gift.

Food Pantry Contributions

Each month, we provide an average of 15,015 pounds of food to 489 families. To keep our pantry stocked, we need contributions from the community. Here are some of the things you can contribute to our pantry:

Non-perishable food items – Each time you shop for your own groceries, consider purchasing items to donate to our food pantry. Reference the list of food items we consistently need in our pantry to provide weekly food baskets. You also can check our MCO Facebook page for the food pantry urgent needs list. We cannot accept food past its expiration date.

Fresh produce – We accept produce donations during regular office hours. Label the produce container before donating. Monday and Tuesday are the best days to make produce donations, so it can go out to our families’ in need in the food baskets on Wednesday and Thursday.

Cash donations to purchase food – If you give a cash donation, MCO is able to maximize the value of your donation by making bulk purchases from the regional food bank. For example, we can buy three times the macaroni and cheese for the price the grocery store sells it for, or Cheerios for 57 cent a box.

Food Pantry Items We Always Need:

Peanut butter

Pasta

Rice

Pasta sauce

Hamburger Helper

Tuna

Macaroni & Cheese

Beef stew

Crackers

Chili

Canned Soup

Jelly

Canned Chicken or Salmon

Pork & Beans

Canned Fruit

Canned Vegetables

Pancake mix

Boxed Potatoes

Syrup

Paper towels

Toilet paper

Facial tissue

Laundry detergent

Cleaning products

Toiletries, trial or full size, such as soap, shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant

Plastic grocery sacks, both new and used, and larger plastic bags/shopping bags that can hold large boxes of cereal

Wish List Supplies

MCO has a “Wish List” which includes supplies to help operate more effectively. We don’t spend donor contributions on these items so we appreciate getting these supplies donated. The current items include:

20 gallon plastic storage totes clear or green for food baskets

Storage bags (snack, sandwich, quart or gallon freezer)

Rolling cart with trays to hold baked goods

HP 950 black and colored ink for office printer

Packing Tape

Financial Contributions

Make a monetary donation to support our food and financial programs. You can donate in person, by mail to our office, or online.

$20 – Buys 91 cans of soup from the food bank$35 – Provides toilet paper for more than 20 families$50 – Buys 167 boxes of macaroni and cheese from the food bank$100 – Pays ½ of a utility assistance payment for a client$250 – Provides 6 food boxes for a family of 4$500 – Covers half the total cost of food purchases from the grocery store each month